


K/DA week: Short Stories 2019

by echowolfM



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Alternate Universe - K/DA (League of Legends)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-11 12:21:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19927999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/echowolfM/pseuds/echowolfM
Summary: A collection of stories before and after the creation of K/DAfor K/DA week 2019





	1. Neon and Shadows

**Author's Note:**

> time is relative  
> lets imagine i posted this first chapter on Neon/Shadows day mkay?

Neon/Shadows

“Ahri, where in the hell are we going?” Evelynn looked out of the passenger side window of the Toyota Supra, holding the newly dubbed ‘Oh shit’ bar like her life depended on it. Ahri wasn’t a terrible driver, she just… didn’t drive very often. Despite each of the Diva’s insistent protests and pleas, Ahri was determined to drive or else it might ‘ruin the secret’.

Kai’Sa sighed and leaned against the window. Ahri had refused to tell any of them about where they were going. After months of corresponding over phones and video chat, K/DA was finally getting together for the first time. Thankfully, the four of them got along swimmingly, but Akali was always too busy to come physically meet her soon-to-be bandmates.

That was thankfully about to change. This part of the process was something they all wanted to work on together, so everyone packed up for a quick trip to Japan.

Eve, Ahri, and Akali had finally put the finishing touches on the song that would be their very first single, and it was time to throw out some ideas for a music video. There were individual scenes that everyone seemed to like. Ahri was adamant about a laundry mat scene that would be a short nod to her past, and their manager was all over the idea of a Lamborghini promo- which Evelynn immediately claimed a part in.

Kai’sa had suggested a group dance number, but apparently that was a given in most k-pop group music videos, and instead had a dance solo forced into her lap. It wasn’t like Kai’sa was ungrateful, but this would be _massive_. Even winning that dancing show in Hong Kong wouldn’t hold a candle to having a solo scene in a music video with not one, but _two_ musical stars.

At least not to her.

Akali hadn’t really given any ideas out so far, but apparently, she had mentioned some wild idea to Ahri that the singer was all over. They wouldn’t tell anyone, saying ‘you’ll have to see it to get it’.

“Calm down, Eve.” Ahri chirped happily while she took a turn way too fast, causing Kai’sa to slide across the back seat and get choked out by her seatbelt. Evelynn let out a heavy breath when the car settled again, her knuckles a stark white from gripping the bar so hard. “We’ll be there soon. Or so the GPS says.”

Ahri took her eyes off of the darkened road for a split second to look at the device on the dash, only to be verbally abused for five minutes straight by Evelynn. Kai’sa leaned forwards and glanced at the GPS, then through the window. Reading over some signs, she quickly realized Ahri was going to pass their turn.

“Ahri, turn off there.” Kai’sa pointed.

Evelynn gave her a grateful look, but that quickly turned to horror when, instead of slowing down, Ahri sped up as she exited off the ramp.

It felt as if the car went on two wheels, and both Kai’sa and Evelynn screamed for their friend to slow down. Ahri yelled right back, saying she had things under control just as the car’s weight redistributed and crashed back down onto all four wheels.

“That’s it, you fucking fox! Pull over!” Evelynn sounded as if she were angry, but she looked more terrified than anything.

“Calm down, Evy, we’re here.” Ahri pulled off onto a dirt road and up to an abandoned building. When she placed the car in park, Kai’sa threw herself out of the vehicle and fell to the ground, mock kissing the dirt and loudly thanking the gods for their safe arrival.

“I’m not letting you drive us anywhere _ever_ again.” She heard Eve snatch the keys out of Ahri’s hand as she got out of the car, with the singer crying out something in protest.

Kai’sa stood and dusted herself off before rejoining her friends. Ahri led the way into the rundown building. If she hadn’t known Ahri and Akali better, she would have thought the two were leading them into a murder den. One wall of the two-story building was completely gone, the rubble from said wall being scattered about and a large section that was still intact laid out like a rug before a door at the opening.

All three turned on their cellphone lights as Ahri confidently strut into the building. Most of Kai’sa’s fear evaporated when she flashed her light on one of the walls. The other two ran their own lights along the other standing walls as well, taking in the many spray paintings and graffiti tags on the wall.

They were beautiful. The vibrant colors stood out vividly against the grimy wallpaper that was flaking off in many places.

There was a large floodlight attacked to a rickety old generator in the middle of the room which turned on after a few firm kicks from Ahri, and they were left in awe at the beautiful array decorating all over the walls, which were even more impressive in full light. Distantly, Kai’sa remembered a story Akali had told her about how her only run in with the law was for her tagging her own home in the middle of the night.

She almost asked if this was all Akali’s work, but Eve beat her to it.

“No way, did Rogue do all of this?” Evelynn reached out and touched a familiar looking picture on the wall. It was of the Siren herself, clad in the outfit she wore on one of her most famous albums.

“Man, she really went all out.” Ahri whistled as she stood in front of her very own painting. It was an image from her popstar days, likely the only good reference the rapper had.

Kai’sa examined some of the other art and was startled to find one of herself. It was a scene right out of the dance competition, of the final pose of her winning performance. “Holy shit, she’s good.”

“You two totally need to do something together.” Ahri came up behind Kai’sa and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

“Well, if the rest of you guys like my idea as much as Ahri did, we will.” A voice from above startled the group, and they all turned to see Akali looking down on them from the decaying rafters. “What took you guys so long? I’ve been here for hours!”

She jumped down and landed with an ease that surprised Kai’sa. Online and over the phone, Akali was shy, a tad scatterbrained, and silly once you got to know her. This Akali still had that joking tone, but she seemed on edge. Nervous, like the first time the had spoken to each other.

Evelynn greeted her first. “It’s a delight to finally meet you in person.”

The two stepped towards each other for a hug, and then Ahri moved up to say hello to their rapper. Akali walked up to Kai’sa and looked at the mural of the dancer. “What do you think, Dreamer?”

“I think it’s amazing! I’ve never used spray paints before. You totally need to teach me!” Kai’sa gave her a big hug, which the rapper happily returned.

Akali stepped away for a moment to pull a few mats from the back of the building for them all to sit on.

“So, our first single is written, recorded, and done, the Album’s got some good progress on it, and we’re all scheduled to move into the penthouse later this month.” Ahri listed off. “But we still have scattered ideas about the music video. We need to have a general plan before we meet with the director next week.”

“Well, all of our ideas are pretty specific to us, and then we have that dance scene.” Kai’sa hummed. “I doubt we can make much more of a story other than ‘we’re all unique but together we’re badass’. But Kali, Ahri said you had a really good tie in for everything?”

“Yeah, I actually kinda do.” Akali scratched the back of her neck a little bashfully. “Remember how we toyed around the idea of being like super heroes and/or monsters? To show that we’re multifaceted?”

Ahri cocked her head to the side. “Multifaceted?”

“It means something has more to it than one side. Like multiple faces.” Evelynn explained.

“Oh, I get it!” She perked up for a moment, happy to have learned a new English word, but then paused. “Wait, how does the _thing_ tie into the superhero/monster idea. We just tossed that out for fun, remember?”

“I remember, but the whole thing about that was we can be both good and bad, well, the _thing_ can be used like that as well. Like the _thing’s_ another world where we have all the control.”

“And what is this _thing_ you’re speaking of?” Evelynn asked. “I’m not in the mood for charades, not after that hell ride.”

Ahri gave her a sharp look, but Akali easily hopped off of her mat and went to the floodlight. Giving it a harsh kick, the device turned off, plunging the room into darkness.

“Kali, what are you doing?” Kai’sa asked when they heard her fidgeting with something on the ground.

Suddenly, there was a purple flash, and the walls lit up.

The graffiti paintings of the singers and dancer glowed neon along with the other drawings of dragons, cars, and washing machines.

“Blacklight.” Akali proudly proclaimed. Her own outfit was glowing now. Her white tank was an electric blue and splattered with different colors from the paintings.

The group stood up and re-inspected the art on the walls.

“We can do the multiface idea with blacklight.” Ahri explained. “With this, we can use those fantasy ideas we had. The blacklight will be the tell that the place in the music video is somewhere between reality and full fantasy, and we can totally thrive in that!”

“Well, I can confidently say no one else is doing anything like this.” Evelynn smiled. “We’d be unique, but this will have to be quite the balancing act.”

“I think it’d be worth it.” Ahri was bouncing up and down so happily Kai’sa wouldn’t have been surprised if she just floated away.

All of this was giving her an almost overwhelming amount of inspiration. She suddenly could see things so clearly. Akali in a subway station, Evelynn in or near the cars, and Ahri in the laundry mat. They would be apart at first, but one by one come together in their own monstrous forms.

K/DA, all four of them together, would break into the scene with a whole knew sound and look to back them. It would take time, especially for previous fans of their two current popstars. It had already been leaked that Evelynn and Ahri were going to be doing a collaboration, and while half of their fans were excited and interested, but the other half were worried of the two singers poisoning each other’s music.

Akali’s fans from the internet were already informed that she was going to be breaking into the business sometime in the near future, and were all for it as long as she kept her unique sound and style.

Kai’Sa had no musical fans to speak of. While she had won a dancing contest, the problem was that kind of fame never stuck for long. Even after just a few months, her face faded into distant memory, and her name was now just one of many who had won before her.

Their first song was admittedly going to be a smack in the face. A ‘yeah we know you all have worries but that’s not your problem’ to all previous fans.

And with this new element, Kai’Sa knew exactly what they needed to do.

With a smile, she turned to her other bandmates. “Guys, I’ve got an idea.”


	2. Fame and Obscurity

Ahri still couldn’t decide if she enjoyed her new-found obscurity or not. On one hand, she hadn’t been able to go out for coffee at a café without getting mobbed for well over nine years, but on the other… people really were forgetting her.

It felt strange. All she wanted ever since she was a child was to share her love of song and dance with the world. Which she did do. Her first album was a massive success, but when your first album tops the charts in its first week, it’s hard to keep the numbers up.

Her managers and production company found their golden goose, and wanted more and more. They worked her to the bone, denying her the ability to make anything but that young idol pop music she quickly grew to despise.

New songs had to be rewritten and reworked, old outfits were worn again and again, and before she even knew it, almost four years had flown by.

Each and every day had slowly drained the life out of her. Making the same old music for the same old companies, but no matter where she went or how different she dressed while out in public, everyone knew her as Popstar Ahri.

She finally had enough one day.

It was completely out of the blue, even for herself. Ahri was watching videos online of her friend, Evelynn’s, latest show. Apparently, some crewmember played the wrong backup track and she had stormed off stage. Ahri knew why she was so upset after the very first note.

That backup track made it seem as if she were lip singing along to her own song. It wasn’t exactly something unusual, lots of singers did it when they had to perform while sick. Hell, even Ahri herself had to frantically try and keep up to a track when the same mistake had been made during one of her early concerts. Eve just wasn’t the kind of person who did that.

The Diva didn’t take shit from anyone.

Evelynn’s guts had inspired her, and without even thinking, Ahri acted. She had gone up to her manager after a show and said, “this will be my last tour”.

And that was it.

For the last five shows, her entire team had begged her not to go. Managers promised more money, companies quickly offered better benefits, and even her own dance crew begged and pleaded for her not to go.

She refused each and every request.

For far too long, she had been too agreeable. She wanted to become unagreeable, like Eve had been.

Unfortunately, being unagreeable was harder than it seemed.

After taking an entire year off secluded in a small cabin town in Canada, Ahri tried to make a comeback. She wrote many different songs, came up with her own dance routines, and simply had fun with being creative again.

When she came back with her pile of new work, she found most companies were still not interested in the new image she wanted to create. They wanted Popstar Ahri, but that Ahri was dead and buried so far as the singer was concerned.

Each and every offer that even had the gall to mention her past was immediately denied.

That… left her options severely limited.

The few companies that did dare to take on her new looks and sound were almost embarrassingly small and worked with up and coming artists. They were used to taking advantage of their singers and each and every contract that was rewritten and placed in front of her was always worded in a way that gave the company the final say.

Hell to the freaking no.

Ahri was done with being denied, but after nearly six months of fighting, she was tired.

So, she went back into the shadows.

She traveled a lot, opting to sell all of her properties except one, and renting out houses in whichever country she was in at the time. She met with many friends, both in the business and out, made new ones, and even had a few flings.

At some point, Ahri became content in just discovering new things about herself. She learned she wasn’t very good at learning new languages but loved learning about new cultures. She enjoyed the idea of thrill seeking more than actually doing dangerous activities. Her favorite foods and drinks had changed dramatically over the course of four years.

But most of all, Ahri found that she needed people in her life.

She needed company she could trust. People that didn’t work for her or vice versa. She reconnected with many old friends from her idol training days, but most had become either heavily jaded, suspicious of her sudden desire to talk, or were now complete bitches.

It broke her heart, but Ahri continued to tell herself that it meant they weren’t good people in the first place.

They just weren’t right for her, like her old companies had been, and like these new ones that kept offering things to her weren’t right either.

After over four years, Ahri had amassed quite the collection of half-written to completely finalized songs. She kept them all in a binder that she would flip through once every few nights.

They were her reassurance now. The proof that she hadn’t lost her touch and might still be good enough to get back into the world once again.

Her latest home was a small apartment in a high-end Hong Kong Skyscraper. It was cozy, clean, and had everything she needed for her stay- however long it may be.

She had come to visit an old friend, but their plans for the night had fallen through. Ahri still couldn’t decide she was glad of this or not. She had promised this friend she would show him her binder of songs.

The first time she had promised _anyone_ this.

Ahri flipped to one specific song and gently sang it to herself as the tv before her played the final round of some dance competition.

She glanced up as a new dancer was announced, and smiled to herself. While she couldn’t read the name, she had titled this woman her own personal favorite. She was unique, always came up with something new, and was fantastic at thinking on her feet and playing off mistakes.

Ahri held the binder open over her lap as she watched the blonde woman dance her heart out, but then something caught her ear.

She had turned the volume down to almost nothing so she could think and also hear when her favorite was announced. Ahri turned the volume up and felt as if she were inflating with pride as she realized the woman was dancing to _her_ song.

While it had been remixed, the beat was relatively the same. The dancer had not used any of the original dance moves in Ahri’s music video or performances, but that only made it all the better.

This original take felt new and honest and inspired. This girl either had liked the song for a long time or was just that passionate about dance.

Once the routine was over, Ahri relaxed back into her seat with a breath, just now noticing she had been holding it the entire time. Chuckling to herself, Ahri watched as the girl took the highest score so far, with only two more dancers to go.

Knowing there was going to be more time before the final results, she looked back down to her binder, but soon ran into a problem.

She couldn’t get her old song out of her head.

It had been years since she had felt proud of that specific song, but seeing it being used in that new way had inspired her.

For a moment, she allowed herself to imagine taking back her own life with one requirement: that the dancer on the show worked with her. She might not have the freedom to write and sing what she wanted, but surely a dancer would be able to sneak through the cracks of a contract and do what she loved.

Feeling giddy and impulsive, she pulled out her phone and tried to think of what to say about the dance. She wanted everyone to know about this dancer, and she wanted the dancer to maybe know she had been watching.

It had been years since she had opened her personal twitter account, and doing so felt like a blast from the past.

Ahri took a moment to scroll through her feed and check up on some old singers and dancers she followed but didn’t know personally.

She saw the rapper she had retweeted four years ago had blown up online and was doing well for herself, rumors about Jinx’ new music video scandal, and Evelynn had apparently made the little coffee shop they had gone to together years ago famous.

Her smile quickly turned to a frown as she looked at the picture of her now magenta haired friend. The one person she hadn’t seem during her hiatus.

Eve was doing well for herself, from what Ahri had heard, but she knew the siren well enough to recognize that fake smile in the picture.

A thought hit her, and Ahri decided to be a little spontaneous.

….

….

“Evelynn, is it true your new album will be coming out this year?” One man called out, shoving a microphone at her face.

“Eve, how about any new cameos? You were seen on the set of Jinx’ music video!” Another man cried as he flashed his camera.

One by one, the people called out her name. Fans asked for autographs, paparazzi asked for poses, and amateur journalists shouted out poor questions. The waters still parted like the red sea for the Siren. No one stepped in her way, no one touched her, and no one dared get personal.

“All of your questions will be answered in time.” Evelynn practically sang as she entered her favorite coffee shop.

Most of the crowd stayed outside, but the young and desperate followed, jotting down her order and watching her every gesture towards the barista. Watching for anything they can possibly capture or jot down that might stir up a new controversy.

Evelynn had been to this shop many times before. It was old and run down when she first walked in its doors nearly four years ago. Her old friend Ahri had recommended it to her, saying it was the best place to relax with a good cup of coffee with little to no attention from the buzz.

She appreciated the peace it provided when she first came, and even left a hefty tip and a thankyou note to the owner after he berated his younger daughter for trying to sneakily take a picture of her. The old man respected the need for alone time while out in the world, and every time she came in, he did his best to provide the quietest nook in his shop for her to enjoy.

But that was then, and this was now. Some stranger had recognized her in the little coffee shop and outed her secret hiding place.

The store was immediately over run with people and placed under the wicked eye of the celebrity world. Sure, business was booming, but Evelynn felt terrible for the extra source of stress. She personally apologized to the owner during one of her visits, and yet all he asked in return was for her to finally take a picture with his daughter.

She happily obliged, and now that photo was displayed over the celebrity wall in the far corner near the bathrooms.

Nowadays, the shop was the center of groupie world and was constantly getting visits from other b-list singers and actors who were trying to be trendy. Evelynn had to keep her visits to a minimum because of this, but now often craved the feelings the shop had previously stirred in her.

Ordering her coffee to go, Evelynn put on her best face while interacting with the employee- the owner’s eldest son. He told her the owner was out for the day, and she cheerfully asked him to mention she dropped in and was sad to have missed him.

Then she took her drink and left.

The noise immediately cranked right back up as she opened the door, and she hid herself behind large sunglasses and newly dyed hair.

Her mood had been on the decline ever since her Cameo in Jinx’s new music video flopped _after_ she was talked into dying her hair a bright magenta. It wasn’t quite the loss she had expected, she actually liked how the color looked on her, but the loss of an opportunity still stung.

When she took a sip of the familiar coffee, it was almost impossible to hide a frown, so she masked it as a reaction to the temperature of the drink. Her brain had heavily associated the taste with quiet and seclusion. Walking down the side of the road with mobs of people tailing her was not at all what she was used to having with this drink.

Evelynn was known to go off on paparazzi and fans who got to close, but this crowd was honestly on it’s best behavior. People weren’t pushing and shoving to get to her, no one was trying to physically interact, and people were accepting that she wasn’t going to answer any questions.

All in all, it was the best outing she could have asked for.

Evelynn still found it hard to bite her tongue though.

She just wanted to be alone.

She speed walked to her car once it was in sight, and the crowd began to disperse. Eve noticed several camera and pad wielding fools rushing to their own cars to possibly follow. Placing her drink in the cupholder, she pulled out of the spot and revved the engine of her Lamborghini, daring anyone to follow.

Of course a few tried, but none could keep up. Even as she stayed within the limits of the law, she weaved through traffic and roads like they had been made to her own design. By the time she reached home, her drink was lukewarm at best, but there would be no scandals from her outing.

Evelynn knew herself well, but even then she had just managed to get the garage door closed before she felt herself snap. Stepping out of her car, Eve threw her drink as hard as she could at the wall furthest from her.

The drink exploded, splatting hard over the glossy white tiles. Leaning against the car, Evelynn took a snaky breath.

Her chest felt tight, and she gritted her teeth until her jaw hurt. Evelynn couldn’t let herself fall apart here. Her cleaning lady would be gone in an hour. She just had to hold out until then.

The cleaning lady would talk.

They always talked.

She was sure her newly stained wall would be all over the tabloids by the morning.

Taking a moment to compose herself, Evelynn pushed herself up and finally entered her home. Whenever she felt so stressed and terrible, Eve took the time to go through all of her rooms.

Decorated to the nines, functionally furnished, and pristinely cleaned. This was what her childhood hobby had led her to. Tenacity and determination had given her a relatively easy life. And yet there were days where she wanted to quit it all.

“Miss Evelynn, welcome home!” Her new cleaning lady greeted her when they crossed paths in front of the one room in her house no one else was allowed into.

“Hello, Nancy. I’m afraid you need to go home early today.” Eve knew herself. She couldn’t hold out. “I have some private business to attend to.”

The girl seemed surprised, but this was the first time Evelynn had ever dismissed her in such a way. “W-will i…”

“You will still be paid for a full day.” Eve reassured with a smile. The woman was mostly done anyways. “I’ll see you next week.”

She waited until the woman left the house. She heard the chime of the front door, then the lock tone, and then she entered the room.

It was a free reign terrarium. Leaving her heels at the door, Evelynn walked across the room and called up into a fake tree.

One of the pale vines higher up in the wood tangle shifted, and then a narrow face peeked out of the mixed foliage.

“Hello, Majesty,” Evelynn rubbed the throat of her albino reticulated python as the animal flicked its tongue at her. “How was your day?”

She had gotten the snake as soon as she moved away from home and made enough money to fund herself and a large pet. Ever since then, Majesty was her only solace. The only friend she had in this hellish world.

Anyone who found out about Majesty was sure the snake would kill her in her sleep one day.

On the contrary, anyone who knew Evelynn understood she wasn’t that stupid.

She knew this animal had been bred, born, and raised in captivity, but that it was still a dangerous animal who could kill any human it wanted in less than twenty minutes. It was why Majesty had her own room and was fed exactly the way a snake of her size should be.

Taking a seat on the bench she had placed in the center of the room, she watched Majesty traverse her way down the log and around her feet.

Heaving the snake’s long body up into her lap, Evelynn sat in the silence as she pet the animal in the way it liked best.

Listening to the sounds of the small pool at the center of the room and the weight of Majesty in her lap was comforting. The humidity clung to her skin like an uneasy hug, but it helped keep her mind off the tightness in her chest.

She took a breath,

And then another,

And then another.

Then her phone buzzed in her pocket.

It startled Majesty for a moment, but then she relaxed again with a big yawn.

Picking up her phone, Evelynn looked at the caller ID.

She blinked, and then answered, placing the phone up to her ear.

“Ahri?”


	3. Fortune and Loss

“Take good care of him, okay?” Akali asked as she handed the leash to her little cousin.

“I will, Akali, I swear!” Sota had the biggest grin she had ever seen plastered on his face as he took the lead and knelt down to pet Akame, her- well, _his_ beautiful snow white Akita.

She had found Akame dirty and emaciated on the streets near the sashimi restaurant she worked at over two years ago. He was covered in dirt and grime, but after a good bath and plenty of food, he was the happiest little puppy anyone had seen. And over the years she had him, he became her loyalist and closest friend.

But things had to change now.

Their family dojo was about to go under, and no matter how many jobs she had or how many hours she worked, she couldn’t take care of him the way she should.

Her mother had made the terrible suggestion last week, angering Akali to the point to where she didn’t come home that night. But over the next few days she continued to struggle to save up enough money for dog food after donating the rest of her earnings and time to her family, and the right thing to do became painfully clear.

Her cousin’s family had been searching for the right dog to gift to their son, but living in such a small home, they needed either a small one or a well trained one, but Sota didn’t like small dogs.

Giving Akame to them was the hardest decision she had ever made, but she knew in her heart it was the right one.

She used to babysit Sota a lot when he was younger, and he ended up growing up around Akame and watched his training and care. Akali knew there was no better person than Sota for Akame to go to, but that didn’t make leaving him there hurt any less.

She quickly said her goodbyes to her Aunt and Uncle, then to Sota and Akame, and left without promising to visit any time soon.

Akali headed straight from her cousin’s house to her job at the restaurant. She was working in the back tonight, per her own request. She didn’t believe the patrons would like a show with tears.

Placing her mask around her ears, she collected her tools and put on her dingy old headphones. The night flew by as her music blasted in her ears. The orders came and went quickly, as weekends were their busiest time, but her mind wasn’t quite on her work and not quite on Akame either.

She worked hard through the haze, knowing distantly the night would end soon enough. Akali only stopped when her boss waved a water bottle in her face.

“Break time, kid.” He opened the lid for her and offered up a glass and small plate of food.

“Sorry, can’t afford anything tonight.” Akali took her towel off the rack behind her and wiped her brow.

“It’s on the house.” He smiled and patted her shoulder. “I’ve got a little something for your family too, and that pretty dog of yours.”

The pain that spiked through her heart broke through the haze. Akali choked mid drink, and when her boss tried to tease her for it, he quickly stopped when he noticed the coughing had turned to crying.

He forced her to take the rest of the night off, only getting her to finally relent and leave after promising not to dock her pay for the night. She ate her free meal in the subway back home. After dropping the food off for her parents and claiming that she paid for it with a bonus, she went out early for her third job of the day.

Jumping on the back of the train, she rode into the city for free. Akali navigated the streets in that same haze, her mind rather being somewhere in space and not in the reality where she had lost her dog.

“힙합검객” The bouncer at the back of the club recognized the name instantly, though it was evident he didn’t know her face.

She waited and dared him to challenge her, but he let her pass.

“Yo, Akali!” Her friend, Ai, greeted her enthusiastically. She DJed at the club regularly, but tonight was Fight Night, and would be acting as an announcer. “You’re here early. Gonna scope out the competition?”

Akali shrugged casually. “Might as well. It’ll keep my mind off Akame.”

Ai’s face fell instantly. “Shit, Akali, that was today?”

She nodded, and Ai wrapped her in a hug. “What do you need?”

“To beat some ass.” Akali gritted her teeth and leaned into the embrace.

“Wish granted.” Ai backed off and led Akali into a back room. “Ryu’s here tonight. He’s lookin’ to win, or fight, or both.”

“Wonderful.” Akali rolled her eyes. “Where is he?”

“In some private room with a pretty girl he picked up the other week. Rumor is she’s an heiress.”

Akali raised her eyebrows at that and let out a low whistle. She waited until they were in a private back room of their own to speak again. “How’d that go around?”

“Her brother came in the other night and berated her in front of everyone for being a whore.”

“So? If my father knew I was here he’d do the same thing.” Akali accepted the glass of water the server had brought her and took a sip.

“Her brother’s Amaya Hakuseki.”

For the second time that night, Akali choked on her drink.

“You’re joking!” She choked out. “Like, heir to Amaya Productions?”

“Damn right he is. Word is he’s been sneaking around the block ever since. Looking to bust her again and get her out of the running for the family business. If he’s here tonight and you show that bastard up, you might be in for some nice things.”

“Don’t start counting tanuki skins before they’re caught.” Akali fought down the rising hope in her chest.

Almost five years prior, Ai had taken a video of her crushing some punk during a rap battle and shot her name into the stratosphere. Akali did her best to fight the good fight online, posting regular videos to a Youtube channel under her stage name, but while her viewership was at an all-time high, it still wasn’t quite enough to keep her families’ head above water.

She had been given offers from several different musical and production companies, but they always were either too restrictive or not willing to pay what was needed to save the dojo. Also… there was the small matter of her parents.

It was as if the unstoppable force met the immovable object. Mayym and Tahno were encouraging only when her interest and ideals aligned with their own, and they were _not_ about to let her run off and join up with any company of any sort.

But Akame was her last straw.

The next offer she got, she was taking.

She’d handle the details later.

“I’ve already had the girls zero in on him and boast about our legendary 힙합검객. Smash Ryu in a battle tonight and you might be getting Akame back sooner than you think.” Ai smiled as she leaned back in the booth.

“Ai,” Akali paused, taking a breath before daring to continue. “I’m not going to be taking Akame back.”

Her friend looked shocked to say the least. “What? What do you mean?”

“Sota loves Akame and I gave him up as a gift. Who am I to go back on that?” Akali took another, more shaky breath. “I can always get another dog. I won’t break his heart.”

Ai was quiet for a moment, and then let out a sigh. “You’re a better person than me then, Akali.”

They talked back and forth until the battles began. As reigning champion, Akali would be waiting for the tournament style competition till almost the very end. She still decided to join the crowd, clad in her cap and mask to keep people from realizing it was her.

Ryu was up first and beat his opponent with intimidation alone. The poor teenager did his best to puff out his chest and hold his head up, but practiced posturing always won out against newbies.

Akali watched as battle after battle was fought. She sat up in the space between two booths and watched. Ai had told her to sit in this specific spot when she came out, and did so without asking why.

“Excuse me, you’re in the way.” Akali glanced back at the man sitting in the booth behind her, an annoyed retort halfway out of her mouth as there was no way she was blocking the stage, but she quickly snapped her lips closed when she saw who was behind her.

“Sorry.” Akali jumped down and gave a short bow to Amaya Hakuseki before moving aside. She casually followed his gaze and, sure enough, he was glaring at the back of Ryu’s head.

Seeing an opportunity, Akali took a breath, and then dove head first into the deep end. “Got a thing against Ryu, I hear?”

The man shot her a dirty look. “Gossips are not welcome.”

“It’s not gossip if it’s my business.”

“Well, this isn’t your business.”

“It is, though.” Akali chanced taking a seat across from him. “Ryu’s been a thorn in my side and- on occasion, a knife at my throat for months now. Cops don’t respect me or anyone in here in the slightest, but you’ve got some pull.”

“I’m not interested in blackmail.”

“I’m not talking about blackmail.” Akali kicked back in her seat. “I’m talking about how he’s going to loose the battle tonight and come after me.”

“And how exactly this will happen?”

Akali glanced over at Ryu again to make sure she had seen right. Yep. She knew that look. “He’s coked out of his mind right now. If I push the right buttons, I’d bet everything I own he’ll come after me on stage. You’ve gotta be the one to call the cops, or they’ll come too late to do anything.”

“That’s it? You just want me to call the cops when he beats you up?”

“Yep.” Akali’s heart was racing as she saw the man examine his possible moves in his eyes.

“But what about me? How does this do anything for me?” He asked.

“Well, you’ll get your sister off his side. I’m sure your honorable father would pay quite a bit to get Ryu the full sentence. She’ll be free to get a new boyfriend or wait however long until he gets out.”

He thought for a moment, but he still seemed unconvinced.

“Look, all I’m asking is for a simple phonecall. Do you see how big I am? He’ll probably kill me no matter what tonight.”

“How are you so certain he will lose to you tonight?” He challenged.

Akali took a short pause, then glanced out to the stage.

Ai was on. It was time for the final battle. “Welcome back to the stage, Ryu! And we all know who your final opponent will be, right?”

The crowd answered with her stage name enthusiastically. It now had her possible accomplice’s attention.

Ai took a dramatic pause, and then looked straight at Akali, offering a hand despite being completely across the room from her. “힙합검객!”

“Duty calls.” Akali shrugged and strutted up to the stage, sparing him a wink as she jumped up and looked Ryu in the eye.

Damn. He was more messed up than she expected. She may have lost Akame today, but at least she was finally going to be rid of Ryu.

….

Akali carefully lowered herself onto her bed.

She knew there were multiple ways her plan could have gone down, but of course she had to get the worst case scenario. She ripped into Ryu like a starving dog that had found a full steak. She tested a new flow out that night, one that the poor bastard had no hope of keeping up with.

She pressed every button, used every word in her three language vocabulary, and made every move to show the entire crowd who still ruled the roost.

There was no reality that existed that had her loose, but the one where her potential partner in crime left her high and dry did.

Ryu tried a sucker punch before Ai even was able to call an end to the battle. Hoping Amaya would take her side if she acted weaker, she took the blow with a smile, egging Ryu to continue.

Not wanting to completely be beaten into a pulp, Akali did her best to either block or slow most of his more brutal swings.

Chancing a glance at Amaya, she was infuriated to see he was gone.

Akali turned the tide instantly.

Wrapping her legs around Ryu’s neck, Akali flipped them over and drove the heel of her palm hard up under his jaw, forcing the back of his head into the floor.

He was too drugged up to really feel the pain of that blow, but he was still stunned.

Standing, Akali let Ai drag her off stage and into the back.

Amaya was waiting for her. He apologized for not stepping in- something about ‘reaping what one sows’ and offered her a contract right then and there. His family was looking to diversify the music they created, but after seeing how they treated future clients, Akali couldn’t even hold true to her own promise.

She walked away without saying anything to him in return.

Her parents were asleep by the time she got home, thankfully enough. After a short shower and taking a quick inventory of her new bruises, Akali put her dead phone on the charger and turned in for the night.

But as she was finally drifting off, her alarm clock decided to make the time known.

Akali stared at the clock in both pain and exasperation. “You’re kidding me…”

With a groan, she flopped her head onto the pillow and smacked the clock’s off button. Her phone finally buzzed to life, but she did her best to ignore it until she heard her father call out to her from the other room for breakfast.

Taking up the device, Akali checked the charge, and then noticed a message on twitter.

Her heart jumped straight through her throat.

…

…

“Take a breath, Ahri.” Evelynn assured her through the computer. “She’ll answer when she answers and not a second sooner.”

“I knowwww!” Ahri groaned and flopped onto the bed of her rented Hong Kong apartment.

Kai’sa was sitting at the modern desk, sipping on some fancy wine the building had provided. “Maybe you should take a bath in the hot tub? It’ll help you relax.”

Things had fallen into place surprisingly quickly. After brainstorming with Evelynn, meeting Kai’sa and finally nailing down a production company, Ahri’s new group was almost assured.

Except there was one large part missing. They needed a fourth member.

The three alone sounded fantastic together already, but anything they sang sounded unbalanced. They needed another singer on a lower register, and while that wasn’t too hard to find… no one she interviewed or listened to seemed unique enough to fit.

Originally, the production company she signed up with was hesitant because their group was so diverse.

They had Ahri, a former child popstar who had gone on a five year hiatus. Then there was Evelynn, an infamous singer with a risqué marketing plan. And then there was Kai’sa, a dance competition winner who also had an absolutely stunning voice.

They needed one more singer with a unique background and style. And Ahri believed she had found the perfect person.

Honestly she was a little ashamed to have not thought of her sooner.

힙합검객 had been on the rise when Ahri first left on her hiatus. Her street rap battles were a sight to behold, truly earning her name of the Hiphop Swordsman. She was flashy, confident, and above all amazing at what she did.

Ahri was subscribed to her Youtube channel and had watched the girl grow over the four years she was gone, but only recently had 힙합검객 gone on her own sort of hiatus. According to her latest sit-down video, there were financial troubles within her family she had to deal with, and rapping online wasn’t helping as much as it once did.

It had been well over a month since she had posted anything to any of her social media accounts, but earlier in the day she posted that her beloved dog Akame had been rehomed and asked fans not to make a fuss over it.

Ahri felt bad for the girl. That dog had starred in many of her videos and was internet famous in his own right, but according to 힙합검객, it was for the best.

The idea of loosing a beloved pet just because of money was a horrifying and upsetting idea to Ahri. She knew what being poor felt like, having been brought up in an orphanage for the early part of her life and then being given to a couple that ended up exploiting her for her abilities.

She was just about to comment on the post under her secret account when a brilliant idea hit her.

Swapping to her main account, Ahri private messaged the rapper without even thinking.

[Hi! I know this might seem out of the blue and all but I’ve been working on coming back to the music world with a hot new group and I think your sound and style will fit well with what we’re working with now!]

She sent it without even double checking for spelling or even seeing if it made any sense.

Just seconds later, Ahri felt a heavy dread and added to her message.

[I know this is _really_ out of the blue but just in case you don’t believe it’s me here’s a pic]

Ahri sent an honestly unflattering image of herself in terrible lighting and in her pajamas.

Then she kept thinking at how weird and secretive her offer sounded.

[there are two other members of the group. Evelynn and Kai’sa.]

Ahri sent the last message, and then threw her phone on the bed to keep herself from sounding any more desperate.

All she wanted was to get back on stage now that her plan was falling into place.

She waited for ten minutes before breaking and grabbing her phone. There hadn’t been any notification that the girl had answered back, but she checked anyways.

Nothing.

Then she called Kai’sa over and queued up a call with Eve.

“This wine is amazing!” Kai’sa called over from her chair. “I usually like the more fruity stuff.”

“I can order some if you’d like.” Ahri offered, sitting up and hugging one of her pillows tightly to her chest.

“Nah, it’s honestly fine. How much was this stuff, anyways?”

“No clue. It came as a gift when I rented this place.”

“What’s the brand?” Eve asked. Kai’sa read off the bottle’s label. “Wow, that’s quite the vintage. I’d place it somewhere between eight and nine hundred.”

Kai’sa paused, looking a little wary. “USD?”

“Nope, I was wrong.” Eve said after typing something into her computer. “it’d be around that amount in HKD.”

Kai’sa went white.

“Don’t worry about it,” Ahri reassured, standing and taking her own glass off the desk. “Can we focus on 힙합검객 right now?”

“Like I said, Ahri. She’ll answer when she answers.”

“Wait, what if she doesn’t even know Korean and can’t figure out what I’m saying?!”

“Google translate’s a thing.” Kai’sa offered.

“What if I sounded too desperate?!”

“If her financial situation was so bad she had to give away her dog, she’s probably more desperate than you are.”

“What did you even say, anyways?” Ahri handed Kai’sa her phone and she opened up the conversation. “Dang Ahri, you really went for it, didn’t you?”

“Oh, hell. Let me see.” Kai’sa held up the phone to the computer so Eve could read it.

“Oh.”

“’Oh’ what?” Ahri groaned, flopping back on the bed more from embarrassment than nerves now.

“She’s finally read the messages.”

Ahri shot straight back up as Kai’sa turned the phone to see. “Oh, she is! She’s typing! She’s typing!”

Ahri lunged off of her bed and took her phone back just as a reply was sent through.

“I’m in.”


	4. Music and Silence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not late, you are

Kai’sa took a deep breath, gave one last stretch, and walked out onto the stage. This was her last chance.

Her last shot at impressing the judges.

As she stepped towards her starting point, time seemed to slow. Her heart thundered in her chest, echoing throughout her entire body as the crowd cheered and the announcer shouted her name.

It had been a _long_ time coming.

Even as a child, Kai’sa loved moving. She would dance to anything that came up on the radio, nod or tap her fingers to songs inside her head, and had quite the case of nervous knee syndrome.

Her body just had this constant need to move. It wasn’t something she did as a hobby or a sport, it was something she had to do or else she’d probably explode.

Kai’sa had known this about herself from a young age, but when she was around eight years old, her parents had caught her singing alone to nothing in her room. She had just finished some old barbie movie and was excitedly making up a dance to her favorite song of the track.

Apparently, Kai’sa had a hidden talent.

It wasn’t as if she hadn’t sang in front of others before. She just never sang something alone. There was always the real song in the background, one or two other singers, or she had sang so quietly that no one else around could have heard her.

According to everyone she sang in front of after that day, she had a naturally amazing voice.

She could hit high notes without a problem, easily sank into lower sounds, picked up techniques with ease, and soon rivaled- at least, according to her teachers and family, many different famous singers.

While Kai’sa couldn’t say it was terrible- she did enjoy singing after all, her families’ sudden focus on her vocal prowess meant that her need to dance was neglected.

For a long time, Kai’sa didn’t know what to do with herself. School always came first, because of course it should, then Singing, and then personal care. She pushed herself harder and harder to make her parents proud, but pushed away the side of herself that needed to move.

There was a constant tightness in her chest. Her nervous knee became a point of abuse to bullies, fidget toys couldn’t hold her focus, and sometimes even the thought of singing lessons after school made her head feel light.

It wasn’t that she didn’t like singing.

It wasn’t even that she didn’t want to sing.

Kai’sa just needed to move.

She vividly remembered the night everything changed.

She was fourteen years old and currently begging her parents to join a nearby dance studio. It was after a chorus concert her parents had forced her to attend. It was the night she finally broke down.

Kai’sa had been given an amazing solo opportunity and there were scouts for other famous singing groups and companies in this crowd.

“It’s a massive privilege,” Her father had said, “If all goes well, you can make a career of your voice. When that happens, you can dance all you want.”

She had gone to the dance studio the other night and was given an opportunity to audition for a small team. Kai’sa accepted immediately, completely forgetting that she had a chorus concert that same night.

When she realized her mistake, she asked to borrow her parents phone to call the studio and reschedule. Her parents reassured her that the two events wouldn’t conflict, and that if she hurried, Kai’sa would be able to make the appointment after the performance.

But then there were delays… and some kid got sick on stage… and one of the piano’s legs broke during the final song…

By the time Kai’sa finally got access to a clock, she was mortified.

Before everything went wrong, she would have had thirty minutes to get to the studio and audition for the team, and now she only had one.

Devastated, Kai’sa broke down.

When her parents found her, tears were streaming down her face and she was sobbing about all she wanted to do was dance.

Her mother tried to calm her, and her father apologized over and over, promising to call the studio right then and there and make everything right.

She shoved both of them away and ran off to wallow in her misery.

But her chorus friends wouldn’t let her give up.

One boy told her that if she ran, she’d only be twenty minutes late, and another said they might be able to convince his parents to take her there- Kai’sa was in no mood to go _anywhere_ with her parents, even _if_ they came up with a car.

After catching her breath and getting the encouragement of the rest of her class, Kai’sa made a run for it.

She ran, and ran, and ran. Even when she tripped and fell, scuffing up her hands and ruining her dress, Kai’sa ran all the way to the studio and burst through the doors.

The teachers were all very surprised.

One stood and began to berate her for being so late- fifteen minutes to be exact, but another immediately stepped in.

She took Kai’sa to a back bathroom and helped her wash up and then waited outside the door as she changed.

When she was finally ready, the three studio teachers scolded her for not calling ahead and saying she’d be late. After apologizing, Kai’sa was given her shot.

And take it she did.

All of the pent-up energy her body had been inundated with for so long was finally let out. She didn’t even feel nervous despite dancing basically for a grade in front of others for the first time in her life.

And she made it in.

Kai’sa took her mark infront of the judges of the competition as the announcer stepped off stage.

Remembering how light and joyful she felt when her parents finally allowed her to quit chorus and instead focus on dance, she gave a pre-performance bow and waited.

The lights dimmed, the music started up, and she listened as her family in the crowd already were cheering her name.

Kai’sa didn’t need to sing to be happy, hell she didn’t even need music to dance.

But dancing to a good song in front of the ones who loved and supported her dispersed any nerves she felt build up in her chest.

One more breath,

And she made her first move.

…

…

Akali scowled as this stranger walked up on her friends.

They had been having fun up until a moment ago, singing along to their trashy old radio and dancing to the beats for some spare pocket change for a struggling friend. Just seconds ago, two of her closest buddies had decided to have an impromptu rap battle.

Both were alright at rapping, using simple rhyme schemes and rhythms to throw childish insults at each other.

The small crowd they had attracted ate it up. They were laughing at their wild gestures, ‘oooh’-ing at their favorite comebacks, and bobbing their heads in tune with the pace that had been set. It was a hilarious sight to behold.

But in came this douche bag.

He had overheard the commotion and came up to watch. When Akali first saw him, she didn’t think much of it. He just looked like some ordinary guy.

When she looked across the crowd for a second time, she locked eyes with him, and immediately knew there was going to be trouble.

He brightened the moment he knew he had her attention, visibly puffing out his chest and holding his head higher. Akali wasn’t stupid. She knew this guy was going to pull some shit for her attention. She just wished she knew why dumbasses would try and go after a girl when she was surrounded by her six closest guy friends.

The idiot waltzed up in the middle of the song, butting his way into the friendly exchange. Akali wanted to fall through the earth the moment he opened his mouth.

“That’s cute boys, but what are you try’n ta do? Get’n some little girls to be impressed by you? Yall’s insults are weak and your game is none. Let me show y’all how this little game’s won!”

The crowd had no idea this wasn’t part of their act. Her two friends masked their surprise and annoyance well, gesturing for him to continue.

He launched into another tirade of rhymes, and Akali wondered how long he had been working on them. Half of his beats didn’t count right, he would go off of the background song just to get some low jab in, and because he was looking to impress more than insult, his lyrics were weak and boring at best.

Akali’s other friends had quickly caught onto what the idiot was trying to do and were now teasing her. Kennen thought it was exceptionally funny when the fool tried to throw an insult his way, practically falling off the back of his seat from laughing so hard.

Everything stopped being funny when her friends gave their reply.

“Little fool, little fool, you think we don’t know what you’re try’n ta do? She’s way out of your league, ten times your height! And in all honesty, she’s got a way bigger dick than you.”

Immediately, the stranger was pissed.

He dropped his act and tried to square up, jutting out his chest and balling his fist aggressively.

Akali had her fill of this boy two minutes into his act, but now she was ready to knock his lights out. Jumping off her seat at the top of the wall at their back, Akali confidently strut between her friends and the guy.

“Classy, man. A real class act. Try’n to make yourself seem like you’re not on crack. You think I’m in your playing field? You’re in the complete wrong game. I’m runnin past home while you’ve lost your first base! You think you’ll catch a fish when you’re swimming with a shark? I’m the badest bitch in these waters, and I’m sick of your snark!”

The words were always the easiest. They flew from her mouth without any need of forethought. The problem was when someone couldn’t take what she gave out.

Embarrassed, angry, and thoroughly insulted, the idiot threw a punch- no, not at her, but to her closest friend. Time slowed and Akali acted without thinking.

Catching the fool’s hand, Akali twisted the closed fist behind his back with ease and shoved him away. Her friends laughed as the fool stumbled to catch himself, but the man still stood right back up. Akali readied herself again.

“You think you’re slick, you two bit prick? I’ll run circles around your brains, leaving you stunned and dazed, so that you’d loose track of time, thinkin my fists are sublime. I’ll tell you what my lonely little pet, pick up your pencil dick and take it to a vet- oops did that hurt little boy? Sorry but it’s your momma that shoulda taught you that worm’s aint toys!”

He swung at her this time, red faced with anger and more than ready to kick her ass. Their audience had become antsy, and in an effort to play it off and not get the cops called on them, Akali decided to take a more theatrical route.

Flinging her head backwards and kicking off the ground, she performed a perfect backflip while simultaneously kicking the idiot’s hand away. Obviously stunned, the man backed off. There was a moment of silence from the crowd, and then a few whooped and cheered her on.

Mocking his earlier display, Akali puffed out her chest and stood tall. Then, she took a grand bow, turned on her heel, and walked off.

Her friends followed, cackling to themselves about how shocked the boy was and how clean her moves were. She just hoped no one had called the cops.

It was late when she got home, late enough that she went directly into the shower and then straight to bed.

When she woke up, her phone sounded like it was trying to contain a rave. It vibrated off her nightstand and was currently rumbling between her wall and bed where it was stuck.

With a grumble, Akali fished it back up carefully using her phone’s charging cord and glanced at the screen.

Her twitter was apparently on _fire_.

Opening up the app, she saw she had been tagged in a video one of her buddies had posted the other day.

She instantly called him for an explanation.

“Dude, what the actual fuck did you do.” Her voice was flat and angry.

“The second you stepped up to the plate against that guy I knew it was gonna be good, so I taped it. And I know you’ve been trying to get your parents to back your music thing so I thought posting your fire rap might help show them you’ve actually got something.”

Akali hung up after a short chat over how many comments she had gotten from fans and haters alike. Her heart was practically on another plane of existence as her video was shared and retweeted and posted on other sites.

For years now, Akali had put away her favorite hobby. The Dojo, education, and health came before anything else, and it constantly ate up all her spare time.

She knew she was good enough to do something with music, if her friends were anything to go by. Hell, even her best friend Ai was willing to goad her older brother into allowing Akali into his club’s rap battles for some practice and fun.

Akali knew she could go somewhere with music deep within her heart, but she had been forced into silence by overprotective and stubborn parents.

But this new wave of appreciation for her songs was finally the straw that broke the camels back. With this new wave of attention, it was time to make a move.

She called up Ai immediately. “Yo, tell Jin I’ll be by next weekend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed my hilariously bad attempt at a rap


	5. Gods and Mortals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not late... by much

Kai’sa had always loved dancing. It was her calling. Whenever she felt happy, or sad, or angry, her first response would always be to turn on her radio and move to whatever was on.

Even if she messed up, made a fool of herself, or didn’t get as high a score as she expected, Kai’sa knew deep down in her heart that she was made to dance.

Now, after winning the competition many of her idols had won all and joining an up and coming K-pop group… she was beginning to fear that feeling wasn’t true.

When they began, she was given the reigns for everything dance related.

She worked with personal trainers and choreographers who helped make the dance to their single ‘popstars’ borderline iconic. They had respected her ideas, bent workout routines and warmups around the dance, and all and all were a great beginning team to work with.

When their contracts for the first year were up, Kai’sa was sad to see most of the team go. A large majority of their crew had come into the entertainment world fresh and had severely underestimated what it took to not only work with stars, but with management and directing teams.

Kai’sa respect their will to die for their art, but she had also learned long ago that stubbornness wouldn’t get anyone far in the world of professional dance and choreography.

Half left pleased with their experience in K/DA, and the other left ranting about how the entire group was made up of hypocrites. Kai’sa knew it hurt everyone who stayed to hear them say that, but that’s how the business went.

Despite trying to make as much creative freedom for K/DA as possible, there still were rules to follow.

And one such rule was getting ready to kill Kai’sa and her love of dance.

With their album tour coming up, their team had hired each girl a personal dance trainer. Ahri and Evelynn had worked with their own trainers before, and Akali managed to persuade her way into allowing a family friend to be her coach. Kai’sa didn’t really have anyone in mind so they stuck her with an older pro.

This woman had a toe in just about every dancing career their was possible. She ran a massive dance academy that had locations in three countries, had won Olympic medals for ice skating as an adult, and gymnastics as a child.

It was an honor to be taught by her. Kai’sa knew this deep down, but my gods.

This woman was killing her.

At Six-thirty sharp, Kai’sa warmed up by running a few laps around the gym, performing some light stretches, and then an hour of light weight lifting.

At seven-thirty sharp, her trainer would arrive and fill their next three hours of the most intense dance training Kai’sa had ever done.

They would swap between difficult routines anywhere between ballet and full on breakdancing. There was no variation in challenge, the woman was a harsh judge who would make her go again if a movement was even a centimeter off, and she was _very_ verbally abusive.

Nothing she said ever really crossed any lines in the beginning, so Kai’sa would let it slide. But after two months of training with her, the bitch danced over that line as if it were a simple crack on the floor.

The constant brutal training and treatment broke her down piece by piece, tearing up the confidence Kai’sa had built up over her young adult years and leaving her small and desperate for any kind of praise.

Before this woman, Dance was the one thing Kai’sa never allowed people to judge her for. It was her one comfort in an uncertain and anxiety filled childhood.

But now dancing was her job. She needed everything to be perfect.

So even after the cranky old pro had left for the day, Kai’sa would sometimes continue practicing.

On days where she had nothing else to do, she’d work all day long.

She knew her friends worried about her, but it was alright. Kai’sa was fine with being exhausted if it made her a better part of the band.

One night after a long day of practice, she found Evelynn had waited up for her.

“Why aren’t you asleep? It’s late.” Kai’sa asked.

“I wanted to show you something.” Eve placed her empty tea cup into the sink and walked over to the baby grand piano that took up a portion of their living room.

Sitting on its bench, Eve ran her fingers along the starting keys, and then she proceeded to blow Kai’sa’s mind.

Kai’sa never learned how to play piano, but with her background in chorus, she had learned quite a lot about it. She would overhear the pianists talk about songs, friends who did play would have impromptu piano battles, and would players would often gossip about what parts of difficult pieces someone could play.

Every piano player in her past didn’t hold a candle against Evelynn.

Not wanting to interrupt, Kai’sa watched the diva’s long slender fingers fly over the keys, tapping out the sounds and dancing through the notes as if they were nothing.

“When I was little, my parents signed me up for lessons.” Evelynn spoke over her own music, jolting Kai’sa out of her haze.

“You’re amazing!” Kai’sa replied, giving her friend a smile and redirecting her attention to the piano.

“This is Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations, popularly known as the hardest song Beethoven ever wrote.”

“Really? Wow, Eve, you aren’t even looking at the keys!” Kai’sa was now thoroughly blown away.

They both kept quiet for the rest of the song. When the final note was played, Evelynn turned in her seat and showed Kai’sa her hands.

They were trembling.

“Woah, are you okay?”

“I had to play every single day for hours on end. I was playing songs like this since I was ten, and now not only do I have carpel tunnel, I have nerve damage that makes my hands shake like this whenever I overexert them.”

“Eve!” Kai’sa was shocked that Evelynn would intentionally do this to herself. The Siren winced when the dancer gently took her hands and guided her up to the kitchen. Kai’sa took an icepack from the freezer and offered it to the woman, who neatly fit it between her hands. “Why would you do that if it hurts?”

Evelynn looked her dead in the eyes. “I’ve destroyed my hands doing something I didn’t even like. Don’t ruin your body trying to please some stuck-up hag.”

And with that, Eve left her alone in the kitchen. Without another word, she walked up the steps and when Kai’sa heard a door close, she thought long and hard about what Eve had said.

It was too late to do anything about it today, so Kai’sa went to bed not long after her friend. When her dance practice alarm woke her up early that next morning, Kai’sa called her personal trainer up.

“Hi, Mrs. Beli? Yes, I know it’s early, but you’re fired. Have a nice day.”

…

…

Evelynn gladly sold her house when Ahri asked her to. She even forced her beautiful snake, Majesty, into a smaller terrarium now located in her room at the K/DA penthouse.

She was willing to share her space with not just Ahri and her snake, but two complete strangers that had quickly become two of her closest friends.

It was nice not being lonely all of the time. For years, she lived alone, the only company she truly enjoyed being her pet snake. When Ahri contacted her again after being gone for so long, Eve was so glad she had found a friend again.

She had tried to stay in touch with the singer during her hiatus, but her schedule had become obnoxiously busy as she struck out on her own from yet another failed band. At that time, she had sworn to herself that solo was the only way for her to go.

It kept away disappointment, betrayal, and feelings when things went wrong. But when Ahri came back, Evelynn couldn’t say no.

Ahri was probably the only person in the world who treated Evelynn like a regular person. Many guessed it was because Ahri was a star too. She knew the kinds of pedestals they were placed on, but even other singers would treat Eve with a level of respect and gave her a wide enough berth that it was beginning to drive her crazy.

Her bandmates didn’t treat her like that, thankfully. When she reunited with Ahri, it was as if the pop singer had never left. Sure Evelynn was angry at her for not even attempting to stay in contact- it had always been Eve who reached out, but after apologies and promises were said, their natural rapport came back in seconds.

Kai’sa was certainly intimidated by Evelynn. It took a long time for the shy girl to come out of her shell, especially around. It came to the point to where the Siren wondered if they’d ever be able to effectively work together. But then one night during a group call, Kai’sa seemed upset by something.

After everyone had hung up, Eve privately texted Kai’sa, asking what was wrong.

To say the dancer was surprised Eve could tell something was bothering her would be putting it lightly. They talked around the topic for a while, and then Kai’sa finally opened up, telling her all about the pressures she was feeling after accepting such an amazing opportunity.

Eve reassured her to the best of her ability and gave her tips on how to deal with the stress. Things between them had been easier ever since.

Her first interactions with Akali were a mixture of their previous two bandmates. On one hand, Akali was shy in the beginning, but only after a few calls, the two were talking as if they were old friends.

When the four finally moved in together, Evelynn was incredibly surprised at how easily they all worked around each other. Sure, there were some growing pains since both Evelynn and Ahri hadn’t shared a home with anyone for the better part of at least five years, but the other two were more patient with them than probably either deserved.

Having the dancer and the rapper in her home was humbling for Evelynn. It had been years since she had made a meal and sat down with family or friends, she was hardly ever alone and yet she didn’t mind it, and there was constantly laughter in their house.

It felt indescribably good to be surrounded by people Eve not only loved, but people who loved her in return. On more than one occasion already the group would stick their neck out to defend her despite them knowing she could defend herself just fine alone.

She was happy and content for what felt like the first time in a decade…

But with perfection came masks.

Evelynn struggled not to throw her phone in frustration.

The case her former bandmates had pulled against her was dragging on and on. There were no real grounds for them to stand on- they had knowingly sold their rights to their songs while Eve had hung onto hers, it wasn’t her fault she was still making money off of them.

But now they seemed adamant to let this old wound bleed, refusing to let any stone go unturned and make her pay out as much as possible. For a split second, Eve allowed herself to think about just giving in and giving them the share of the money they asked for, but that would mean admitting defeat.

The Siren did _not_ admit defeat to something so insanely stupid.

Her other bandmates knew what was happening, so it didn’t really surprise Eve to find them waiting outside her door.

“Hey, so how’d it go?” Ahri asked.

Evelynn knew she couldn’t hide everything, this new line in the case would be in the tabloids probably by the next day, so she let out a sigh. “They’re filing for emotional damages now. They just want anything at this point… and to make this case drag out as long as possible.”

“What kind of assholes are they?” Akali scoffed. “If they were stupid enough to give up their rights to their own songs, then they’re too stupid to get any money from it.”

“That’s… not how that works.” Kai’sa soothed the rapper before turning back to Evelynn. “Is there anything we can do?”

“No, there’s nothing. This is just how things are going to be for a while longer.” Eve hid a grimace.

They dispersed after a few ‘we’re here for you’s and ‘don’t worry too much about it’s. The problem was Eve was worried about it. She was all the way in Korea and the case was taking place in America. If she was summoned for a court date, she would have to drop _everything_ and leave or else risk a warrant.

Eve wasn’t about to put that strain on K/DA.

But the more and more things went on, the more and more it seemed as if this was going to be a possibility.

This case had put K/DA in a type of stasis. Their first album was almost complete but if they did too many appearances in a row, Eve might have to leave and miss them all.

It was something she couldn’t risk.

Later that night, Evelynn found it almost impossible to sleep. She took out Majesty for a little while, but even the comfort she felt around her pet was unable to sooth her nerves.

After placing Majesty back in her cage, Eve decided a cup of tea might soothe her nerves. Heading downstairs, she was surprised to find Ahri was still awake.

“What are you doing up, Foxy?” She teased as she entered the kitchen.

“Nothin much.” Ahri was engrossed with her phone, reading over something apparently very interesting. “Hey, what if you counter sue them?”

Evelynn stopped in her tracks, hand halfway to the cabinet where the tea was. She was still thinking about this? “What for? Other than be a thorn in my side for the past year and a half, there isn’t anything else to go after them for.”

“Well, they’re saying untrue things, like that you were taking away their rightfully earned money. Maybe slander? Or you could do something since this case _is_ affecting your livelihood. K/DA’s your job now and no one wants to make a move until this is settled.

Evelynn thought about it for a moment. “I’ll ask my lawyer about it, but even if I did, it would come back to bite me in the tabloids.”

“Since when did you ever care about that?”

“Since you came back.”

It was Ahri’s turn to take a surprised pause. “I don’t think I ever really thanked you for this.”

“What do you mean?”

“For going along with my idea. You were not only the first person I told, but the first person to volunteer to help. That… meant a lot to me, Eve.”

“And you coming to me with this idea meant a lot to me as well.” Evelynn entered the living room and took a seat next to Ahri. “So, there is no need for thanks.”

Even still, Ahri wrapped the siren in a big hug. Eve accepted it, trying not to break upon contact. It was sweet that Ahri was not only worried about her, but trying to help her find ways out of this predicament. It had been a long time since someone had done that just out of the goodness of their heart for her.

“Eve, it’s gonna be okay, you know.” Ahri whispered.

“With you and the others by my side? Yes, I know.”


	6. Together and Alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not as late, but i guess still late.

Ahri sighed as she finally said goodbye to their producer. She had been on the phone with him all day working on the group’s next big project. He seemed interested in most ideas she rambled off and promised to get a hold of a time slot to meet with all of K/DA soon.

It was nice to finally have that gone and done with, but the call had taken up her entire day. Ahri stood up from her desk and stretched. She had promised to help Kai’sa with dinner for tonight but based on the time she read on the clock, she figured she’d be lucky to help set the table.

Ahri felt terrible that it went on for so long and braced herself for some reprimands from Eve for ditching Bokkie and maybe even some complaints from Akali for having to pick up the slack.

By just opening her office door, Ahri was hit with an incredible smell. It reminded her of a chicken broth but far lighter and airier. Heading downstairs, Ahri found their dancer hard at work, cleaning some pots and occasionally glancing at the wall clock.

“Sorry, Bokkie,” Ahri playfully pushed in front of Kai’sa, surprising the distracted woman and cutting off her access to the dirty dishes. “This job’s mine. Sorry for taking so long, too.”

“Ahri! Come on, it just needs to simmer, now.” Kai’sa rolled her eyes with a grin, placing her hands on her hips. “And it’s no problem. It sounded like it got intense for a little while there. Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine.” Ahri plucked the sponge from Kai’sa’s hand and began washing the first thing she saw. “He just wanted to give us some crazy deadlines and I wasn’t having it.”

“Did you pull and Eve?” Kai’sa relented at last and checked on dinner.

“Kinda. I wasn’t as harsh, but I put my foot down. He wants me to give him estimates when we all meet up later this month.”

“Did he set any hard dates?”

“Nope. Even the meeting to set dates hasn’t been set. He’ll get back with me on that tomorrow.” Ahri handed Kai’sa a now clean pot to dry as she worked on another one. “Where’s Eve and Akali?”

“Eve still hasn’t come back from that meeting with her lawyer, and Akali snuck out hours ago. I texted Eve about it so she can pick Rogue up when she’s finally on her way back.”

“She’s really still there? She left at eight this morning!” Ahri whistled at that. Even her meeting didn’t last that long, but then again, they had a lot of things to work out. “Oh, what did you make for dinner, by the way?”

“Since you and Eve have been so busy, I decided to make some American comfort food.” Kai’sa took a spoon from the drawer and took out a little taste. Carefully, she crossed the room and offered it to Ahri.

“Wow! This is amazing!”

“It’s chicken and dumplings. My parents and I found some old southern-like restaurant in New York that had it years ago, but this recipe is _so_ much better. I just hope the Eve and Kali like it too.”

“Akali’s a human garbage disposal, Bokkie, and Eve hasn’t disliked anything you’ve made so far- which is an honest miracle if you ask me.” Ahri reassured her.

Kai’sa returned a smile and took another dish to dry.

Once the dirty dishes were cleaned, dried and put away, Ahri helped Kai’sa set the table. All four tried their hardest to always be home for dinner. During their busier times, dinner was often the only point in the day where all four could sit down and just talk.

Ahri had never really had family dinners both growing up and during her early career. She had been placed in idol training at the age of seven and by fifteen, she was touring all over Korea and hardly had time to just sit and eat- let alone converse with family or friends.

When she had met Evelynn for the first time, Ahri knew in her heart she had found a kindred spirit. Someone who grew up in and around fame, became popular at a young age, and didn’t have many close friends to speak of.

She could remember Eve’s face when Ahri invited her out to dinner on the first day that they met. They went to the restaurant at about seven thirty, and both ended up staying till closing at eleven just because they kept talking. Eve had invited Ahri over to her home when they were finally kicked out, and once in the Siren’s domain, she found that she had been right.

Despite having a large and lovely home, Eve- like Ahri, had no one to share it with.

That night had sealed their friendship forever, no matter how much time passed between them. Both tried to solve their loneliness with dating but relationships both in and outside of the celebrity world proved problems.

Ahri had gotten away with the lighter end of the stick. Her dates just wanted the clout of being her boyfriend and taking her ‘purity’. Eve got the heaver end, one with thorns and tangles. Her dates just brought mistrust, drama, and violence into her life.

She felt bad for that. During her five-year hiatus, Ahri had left Evelynn to keep her head above water on her own. And despite the thousands of times that Eve had told her that staying wouldn’t have changed anything, Ahri couldn’t help but feel guilty for at least some of it.

“Ahri? Earth to Ahri!” Kai’sa’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

“Yeah, what’s up?” Ahri realized she had been frowning and quickly put on a smile.

“You looked like you were spiraling a bit. Are you okay?” Kai’sa could always read her like an open book.

“I’m okay, I promise. Just got a little too far inside my own head.” Ahri sighed.

“Okay,” She didn’t look convinced. “Mind telling me what you were thinking about?”

Ahri was about to say some excuse but knew better than to put a wall up between herself and Kai’sa. She’d just tell the others and before Ahri knew it she’d be mobbed with questions and comfort.

Ahri let out a chuckle and shook her head. “I’m just so glad you’re here.”

A look of understanding crossed Kai’sa’s face, and then she smiled. “I’m glad I’m here too.”

They finished setting the table just as the front door opened and Akali called out a customary greeting.

Kai’sa lit up immediately and practically skipped out of the kitchen, excited to greet the others after a long day.

Ahri was left to look after her for a moment, and then she shook her head.

Despite not growing up around fame and fortune, Kai’sa had a mostly lonely life as well. Despite knowing how to talk with others and cooperate, she was shy and untrusting.

All her life Kai’sa had moved from place to place with her family, experiencing new regions and cultures, foods and dance, and all sorts of new people. She had a few friends on just about every continent, but they were only ever friends.

Kai’sa had only recently started referring to Ahri and the other K/DA members as her best friends.

Ahri guessed that the constant moving and travels had kept Kai’sa from growing super close to anyone in particular. Even in idol training, Ahri had grown up with those other girls, and had several that she still kept in contact with that she regarded as family. Even Eve had a few other friends she held near and dear to her heart, but not Kai’sa.

She was glad for the dancer. Now that she had friends who were going to stay, Kai’sa had revealed herself to be the most caring, reliable, and loyal person probably on the face of the planet.

“Hey, Foxy.” Evelynn greeted her as she entered the kitchen. The woman looked exasperated, and Ahri guessed why.

“Where was she?”

“Oh, on the corner of some club, taking any challenge that came her way.” Eve took the rest of the napkins Ahri was placing at the center of the table and distributed them out to each setting.

“At least she doesn’t have a black eye like last time.” Ahri paused, and then checked over her shoulder to make sure. Kai’sa was in the middle of lecturing the rapper. “Oh, thank goodness I was right.”

“That girl is going to get herself into some serious trouble someday.” Evelynn sighed.

“That girl can kick a six-foot ‘two man’s ass.” Ahri tried to joke.

“You still can’t bring fists to a gunfight.”

Akali seemingly was a natural born loner growing up. She rarely made friends but that never seemed to bother her. She was quiet, broody, and the first time Ahri met her, she would have called the young woman disrespectful.

But Akali was incredibly respectful. She was just a little shy.

Akali had grown up in a traditional dojo and was desperate to get out and carve her own path. Out of the sight of her family and strangers, she was clever, friendly, and surprisingly intelligent, but found it hard to branch out even to peers.

When Ahri had reached out to her, she was just desperate to get out in the world and make music.

Of all her bandmates, Evelynn was undoubtedly the most like Ahri, and also the most opposite. They had similar experiences being in the same career, but also were on polar ends of the personality spectrum. Evelynn was a self-admitted hard ass who wasn’t afraid of doing what was necessary to get what she wanted. Ahri, on the other hand, was such a pushover growing up that learning to stand up for herself came much later on in her career.

Despite their differences, the two got along swimmingly in everything they did. They respected each other, weren’t afraid of telling each other the truth, and above all were always there for each other.

At first, Ahri thought they might just be fated to be friends, but after reconnecting and seeing how lonely the Diva was, she her first impressions of the woman still held true.

Ka’sa’s timer dinged, and the dancer finished her lecture to Akali with a sigh. Once everyone had washed their hands, they helped Kai’sa set the table and all sat down to eat.

Ahri observed the early stages of their meal quietly, watching as the three chatted idly about their days. Eve’s meeting had gone well, Akali managed to apparently set a new record of rap battle wins for herself, and Kai’sa had finally mastered a complex new dance move in her spare time.

The others turned to her, and she informed them of what their producer had said. Everyone went back to their food, complimenting Kai’sa and jumping to and from conversation topics.

On their first few nights together, everything was so chaotic. Two- sometimes even three, conversations would happen at once, no one was focused on their food, and just figuring out who would do what task for clean up was an experience to say the least.

It was nice seeing that things had settled.

Sometimes she couldn’t believe everyone had so easily accepted the idea of moving in together, but then she would remember how lonely each of them was and how coming together like this had brought out the best in each of them.

Smiling to herself, Ahri looked over her best friends and let out a content sigh.

Yes, this was how things should have always been, and how things are going to be for hopefully a long, _long_ time.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ON TIME

Evelynn woke up early out of habit more than anything. It was raining outside, leaving her bedroom colder and darker than usual. With nothing on her schedule, she considered trying to sleep in.

Glancing towards the other side of her bed, she smiled at the sight of her girlfriend blissfully asleep and splayed out on her stomach right beside her.

The Siren couldn’t count the number of times she woke up next to a person early in the mornings while her bedmate still slept, but to this day there was only one person in the world the world that she was glad to wake up next to.

Akali’s face scrunched up in her sleep as Eve gently brushed away a few stray hairs that were sticking inside of the rapper’s mouth.

She had first met the woman over the phone.

Ahri had given Akali her number and told the two to start brainstorming song ideas as soon as possible. When they first began, the rapper surprisingly seemed like the all work and no play type, someone Eve would work well with as that had been her attitude for the past five years of her life.

Little did she know that the girl was just nervous in the beginning, and as they talked over the phone and video chatted with each other, the more friendly and fun side of Akali came out to play.

She began with a few jokes here and there, but during one call Akali was distracted by something that had happened earlier in the day. When Evelynn had called her out for not being on task and asked what was wrong, the rapper launched into a wild story about some of her friends and a single can of cheese whiz- whatever the hell that was.

That was their first real ice breaker, and their calls then turned into 90% conversation, 10% work gradually over time. At first, Eve was willing to humor the girl, knowing this was her first time working in the business, but she would have been lying to herself if she said she didn’t enjoy their chats.

Ahri was busy trying to get everything organized with a production company and Kai’sa was still very much intimidated by her, so Akali was really the only person on the team she could just talk to.

Eventually, their work was just about done but they continued texting each other every day. Sometimes it would just be a simple ‘how has your day been?’, and others were long conversations about anything that was bothering them at the time.

Eve had never romantically looked at girls. Sure, having sex with one was fun, but her experience there was exclusively through threesomes with a guy as well. When that tidbit got out, the media called her a whore, slut, skank, anything in the book to try and insult her, but because there was at least one guy, she was never called a dyke.

Akali changed that quickly. Not long after meeting her in Japan, Akali took her three bandmates to her favorite haunt, a club she often rapped at before the creation of K/DA. Their arrival had corresponded with a blacklight rave the club was hosting in one of their other locations nearby, so Ahri and Eve decked themselves out in disguises and let Kai’sa and Akali take the lead.

Evelynn had surprisingly enough never been to a rave before and wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but she certainly did _not_ expect to wake up with the rapper naked in her bed the next morning.

It was a night she’d never forget. She especially wasn’t about to forget the face Akali made when she woke up not long after Eve had.

What followed was a _long_ conversation. Evelynn couldn’t mask her admiration and interest in the rapper any longer, and apparently neither could Akali.

They agreed that the world didn’t need to know about their secret affair, especially not as their group was in the middle of getting off the ground. They even decided to keep things quiet around Ahri and Kai’sa, fearing the possibility of conflict and more than a little awkwardness as they tested the waters of a relationship.

It wasn’t the most opportune time to start something with a potential coworker, but gods was Evelynn happy that she took the chance.

And she was happy that Akali took a chance on her.

Probably everyone who knew anything about the music industry knew of Eve’s dating history and of its more… interesting endings. Akali never asked about any of it, though. She just accepted the past as past and seemed focused on their future not only within K/DA, but with each other.

It was a new experience for Evelynn. To have someone committed to their relationship and willing to put in whatever work was necessary to give them the best chance. The learning curb for the siren was certainly hard in the beginning but seeing how much Akali wanted to make things work between them only made Evelynn want to work that much harder.

And so, she did.

She gave up boundaries and placed new ones, altered some of her habits in order to benefit both herself and Akali, and forced herself to be more open to new ideas and things. Eve at first found it troublesome having to bend so much for the girl, but she knew Akali was bending for her as well.

One day, after a particularly bad argument between them early on into their relationship, Akali came to her.

“Eve, can I ask you something?”

“Of course, you can.” Evelynn had answered, her voice falling flat as she was still bothered by their fight.

“Is love a feeling, or is it something you choose?”

The question honestly caught her off guard. She thought for a moment, remembering how she felt about Akali and all her other romantic partners in the beginning. “It’s a feeling.”

Akali’s face fell slightly as she took a seat on the sofa. “My mother used to ask my friends and cousins this question whenever they started dating someone. She asked me it when we got together as well and I finally asked her why she always asked that.”

“And what was her response?” Evelynn’s irritation was still in the back of her mind, but now she was curious about this as well.

“She said ‘feelings are fluid. They change all of the time. You can love a toy as a child but then grow to not care for it as you grow up, or have a best friend that you outgrow as you discover what you want from the people around you.’”

Evelynn saw the logic in that but felt as if she was missing what Akali’s point was. “What was your answer to her?”

“I said it’s a choice. My parents are about as opposite as opposite can get, but they’re still each other’s best friends. They tease each other, comfort one another, and choose to go to bed together each and every night. When I was a kid, I was always terrified that they might get a divorce because of how often they argued, or how many times they would accidentally make each other upset. What I never noticed was how they would always work it out. They chose to fight through their problems, make their boundaries clear, and at the end of the day, they chose to keep on loving each other.”

Thinking back on her own parents, Eve couldn’t say she ever saw the same.

Her parents were the great love story of Hollywood. An actress and director who left their old spouses for one another and built this picture-perfect family together. Everything always had to be perfect, and they were always so disgustingly cute with each other, Evelynn had always just assumed that was how it worked. You found someone you were absolutely head over heels with that you could tolerate until you died.

What Akali had said made her change all of those assumptions, and Evelynn was almost ashamed to say that this was not only her best romantic relationship, but probably her first real one as well.

Glancing at the alarm clock behind her, Eve sighed. She was wide awake now and had zero chance of falling back asleep like this. Looking back to her still sleeping girlfriend, Evelynn leaned down and kissed her cheek before getting up.

Neither of them had anything planned for the day, so she decided to think on something they could do together while making a hot cup of tea.

…

…

Akali woke to the sound of distant thunder and rain pattering gently against her window. Humming to herself, Akali shifted till she was on her stomach and sighed.

This was K/DA’s free day. The one day each week that everyone did their best to schedule around and keep open. She had no songs to work on or moves to practice unless she wanted to, nowhere to go unless she became restless, and best of all, no alarm set to make her start the day.

And today was already shaping up to be a lazy day.

The light thunderstorm outside kept her room dark and the air chilled. Her bed was still nice and warm, and too comfortable to leave…

Until Akali noticed she was alone.

She frowned at this.

_Today was lazy day,_ Akali thought to herself, _and it will be a lazy day._

Listening out for a moment, the rapper tried to hear any movement in the house. She distantly heard the beeping of the Keurig downstairs- perks of having a room closest to the stairwell, she could hear everything in the house.

Ahri was unfortunately out on a business trip and wouldn’t be returning until the end of the week, and Kai’sa got her free day started early by spending the night at her girlfriend, Sivir’s, place. That only left her missing bedmate, Evelynn, to be the cause of the sound.

Early on into K/DA’s life, both Kai’sa and Akali learned that their two famous friends didn’t know where their own off buttons were. They watched the two older women almost work themselves into the dirt while trying to get the band off the ground. Once things settled down, the rapper and dancer schemed to get the other half of K/DA to relax. Ahri took to the idea after a few tries, and grew to enjoy just sipping on tea and listening to whatever peaked her interest. Evelynn, on the other hand… was a little harder to convince.

It took months for the woman to get over the guilt she felt for doing less work than usual, but now she was able to enjoy the quiet company of a book and occasionally the house piano on free days.

Akali figured she was prepping a cup of coffee or tea to accompany her reading, but the rapper was feeling a little selfish today.

After all, today was lazy day. No one should be up at… she looked at her alarm clock and groaned out loud.

7:30

Well, you can take the Diva out of the work, but not the work out of the Diva. With another groan, Akali forced herself out of bed and stumbled out of her room.

“Good morning, darling,” Eve called out to her as she slowly made her way down the stairs. “Did you sleep well?”

Akali opened her mouth to answer, and ended up letting out a massive yawn that seemed to take over her entire body for a moment. When she came out of it, Evelynn had turned her back to take her mug of tea out of the machine.

Stumbling forwards, Akali wrapped her arms around her girlfriend’s waist and pressed her forehead between her shoulders, mumbling something she herself couldn’t even understand.

She could feel Evelynn’s chuckle as the woman put down her mug and leaned back into the embrace, placing her hands over Akali’s. “Maybe you should go back to bed. I can come up with you if you’d like? Just let me grab my book.”

Akali nodded her head, but when Evelynn moved away she held tight.

“Akali, I need to move if you want me to come back to bed with you.” The younger woman knew she would be towing the line with this, so she was reassured by the humor in her girlfriend’s voice.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Akali removed her arms. Just as the Siren was about to thank her and move to get her book from the living room, the Rapper swooped down and swept the woman off her feet. Before Evelynn could even say anything, Akali turned on her heel and carried her, bridal style, back towards the stairs.

“Oh no, Akali! You are not going to carry me up those steps while you’re still half asleep!” Evelynn tried to worm her way out of her girlfriend’s grasp, but Akali kept a tight grip.

Eve stopped struggling and just held on for dear life as her girlfriend meandered up the staircase, and gave up thinking of ways to get out of her arms once they reached the second floor. Akali turned into her room and, as gently as she could, dropped the diva onto her bed and climbed in after her.

“My tea’s going to go cold.” Evelynn chided, but there wasn’t really any bite behind her words.

Akali grumbled an apology as she pulled the duvet over their bodies and snuggled up against Evelynn, smiling to herself when she felt the woman wrap her arms around her anyways. When she felt the diva kiss the top of her head, Akali responded by kissing her collarbone, smiling again when the woman hummed happily at the touch.

They laid like that for a little while, completely content in each other’s embrace, and when Evelynn kissed her again Akali, tightened her grip for a second, before relaxing with a sigh.

Akali would have drifted off, happy to be back in her bed and holding her girlfriend tightly, but Evelynn continued to kiss her, slowly making her way down and pushing the rapper onto her back.

“Eve…” Akali whined unhappily as the diva lingered at her collarbone.

Sometimes, Akali forgot that Evelynn was unfamiliar with the gentler side of romance. Having been emotionally neglected by her parents, thrown into the celebrity world at a young age, and having several back to back, unhealthy relationships had left the woman a bit… romantically challenged.

While she was a master of flirtation and knew her way around the bed like it was the back of her own hand, she often misread or was unable to understand more subtle acts of affection. It broke Akali’s heart that no one had ever thought to cuddle with the Siren on rainy mornings before this point, but she was more than happy to introduce this pastime to her girlfriend.

“Hmm?” Evelynn hummed against her neck, having moved up again to listen after noting the whine in Akali’s voice.

“Not now,” Akali pulled her tight against her chest, keeping her from trying to descend again. “Maybe later, but not now.”

The silence that filled the seconds after told Akali her guess had been right. Rolling the confused Diva onto her side again, the rapper gently pushed and prodded until she was spooning the older woman. She delicately wrapped her arms around Evelynn, and nuzzled her face into the crook of the Siren’s neck, gently kissing her shoulder and letting a small, content sigh, escape her lips.

Evelynn trembled slightly as the breath ticked her ear, but slowly began to relax with each little kiss. “Kali, what are you doing?”

“Cuddling…” Akali mumbled into her ear.

The diva’s chest shuddered as she chuckled. “Darling, don’t you think that’s a little childish?”

“Whoever let you think cuddling is childish needs to get shot.” The resoluteness in her own voice surprised her, and apparently Evelynn as well. The woman tensed, and Akali could practically hear the cogs grinding in the Siren’s head as mulled this over.

“…A lot of people need to be shot, then.”

Akali recognized her tone immediately. that sad humor Eve took when her thoughts were going to take a spiral. That would mean a quiet, moody Diva for the rest of the day, and possibly longer. This isn’t what she wanted. Not at all. Thankfully, Akali had learned the key to this particular mood early on in their relationship.

“I love you.”

The sigh Evelynn let out felt as if it came from the deepest part of her chest. Slowly, the woman sought out Akali’s hands with her own, gently taking them and giving them a small squeeze. “I love you, too.”

Instead of giving back into the pull of sleep now that her bedmate had returned, Akali made sure to stay awake, gently rubbing the Siren’s hands with her thumbs and giving them the occasional squeeze, and kissing her shoulder until she had fallen back asleep.

Sensing that the woman’s mind was now in a much safer place, the rapper let the patter of rain on her window and the gentle even breathing of her girlfriend lull her back into a dreamless sleep.

…

When Akali awoke for the second time, it was because the woman in her arms had shifted drastically. Cracking her eyes open, Akali was greeted by the beautiful sight of Evelynn’s half asleep face.

The Diva, the Siren, the Whore… people had given Evelynn all kinds of nicknames that tried to push her down for her strong, independent, and honest attitude. Because of this, Eve had shouldered it all, gladly taking the names for herself and building up her facades and masks until she seemed like an unreachable goddess. A human and physical embodiment of some divine being that Akali sometimes still couldn’t believe loved her back.

When the Diva slept though, there was no mask to hide what she really was.

She was just a beautiful human woman who was like anyone else. Someone who wanted to love, and be loved in return.

Akali felt her heart swell when those golden eyes fluttered open.

Evelynn sleepily blinked, ducking her head away from the rapper to yawn. When she pulled her head back up, Akali couldn’t help herself. Moving forwards, she nuzzled her nose against her girlfriend’s, causing them both to crinkle their noses and smile.

The Siren hummed, ducking away bashfully. “Kali…”

“I love you.”

Evelynn let out a gentle but content sigh, moving forwards slightly and giving Akali a gentle kiss. “I love you, too.”


	8. False Starts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First tries at some of the prompts. Didn't want to leave them all to waste so enjoy bonus snippets of stuff.  
> All of the pieces are unfinished and unedited, and no i won't be going back to do either. if it's a little rough, sorry.

**Obscurity vs Fame**

“You have most certainly _not_ fallen into Obscurity.” The matter of fact way Evelynn said it almost convinced Ahri she was telling the truth. “Singers take breaks all of the time. Three years isn’t much in the grand scheme of things.”

“Enough for people to not even realize you’re gone.” Ahri muttered.

After being away for four years, the fox singer had finally mustered up the courage to face her only true friend in the business. Of course Eve was angry she had left without so much as a call or a text, but they melted back into their usual banter and ease within minutes of meeting at Evelynn’s penthouse.

“You should enjoy the break. I can’t even begin to tell you how jealous I am that you could walk down the street and not get mobbed by fake fans and paparazzi.” Eve leaned back in her loveseat and swirled the red wine in her glass.

Ahri knew she was probably venting to the wrong person about this.

Evelynn was born for fame. She had that ‘take no shit’ attitude that got her whatever she wanted in life, the tenacity to push through any business or media problems that came her way, and the balls to do practically whatever she wanted.

She floated through fame as if it were a lazy river that was built to her own design. Ahri envied her greatly for that, but then again, she had her moments like anyone else.

She had seen Evelynn work herself to the bone. So stressed that she can hardly think straight, accidentally starve herself because she simply forgot to eat, and centimeters away from a panic attack after being stalked by fans and paparazzi on what was supposed to be a relaxing day off.

While fame seemed to be Eve’s bitch, Ahri knew she often lost control of the leash.

More often than usual actually, in the past few weeks.

Despite her constant posturing and casual expression, she knew Eve was genuine with that statement.

“Maybe you could take a break too?” Ahri offered. “Despite the business issues, it really is nice being away. Hell, it was so nice I completely missed my opportunity to come back.”

“You didn’t miss anything.” Evelynn rolled her eyes. “You were the biggest star in the world four years ago. Your comeback has no deadline. The musical world will implode the moment you return.”

Then she paused for a moment. “Do you even want to come back?”

Ahri winced as her friend’s blazing golden eyes turned to her. There was no judgment, nothing for her to be afraid of, so Ahri let out a sigh. “I’m not sure.”

Placing her drink on the table, Eve stood up and joined her on the couch. When they first met, Ahri never expected the legendary Siren to ever physically console someone. Now Evelynn was her closest confidant and provided the best hugs.

She curled up happily in the diva’s arms and rested her head in the crook of Evelynn’s neck.

They sat like that for a while, content in each other’s company.

**Music vs Silence**

“Well done, Kai’sa!” Kassadin gave his daughter a big hug, picking her up off the ground and then gently placing her down again.

“Thanks dad, mom.” Kai’sa put on her best smile as her mother gave her a bouquet of roses.

“Another perfect performance!” Her mother had tears in her eyes as they headed out to the car.

Kai’sa did her best to listen as her parents praised her vocals and commented on the best moments of the show. At only sixteen, Kai’sa knew her voice was something special. Hell, everyone in school knew now.

She had taken private vocal lessons up until this point due to the fact that her family was constantly on the move, but her parents had promised to settle down for a few years so she could complete highschool. They had chosen to settle in New York instead of Hong Kong to give Kai’sa a better chance of being scouted out for her voice.

She knew her parents even looked into moving them to California to become a star, or even London so Kai’sa could try her hand at musical theater. But when she was given the option to have the final say between those two places and New York, Kai’sa decided she had the right to be a little selfish at this point in her life and chose the one place her parents had no plan for.

It still didn’t keep her out of the school Choir, though.

Kai’sa tried to argue back, but only came out of that debate with the option to either join Choir as well as the Dance team, or join nothing.

And so she continued the same stressful school lifestyle as before. Difficult schooling compounded with hours of two different and sometimes conflicting clubs. The one time her school didn’t have a choir, her mother somehow came through and found a local musical group for her to join.

“Kai, wait up!” Two guys from Dance ran up to their car just as she was climbing in.

Kai’sa looked to her parents, who both nodded. She stepped back out. “Hey guys, what’s up?”

“We’re all heading to Forest park for some manhunt, wanna come? Nice voice by the way.” Jax asked, and Jeremy nodded his head enthusiastically.

“Give me one sec, guys.” Kai’sa turned back to the car and called out inside. “Can I?”

“Just be back by ten. If you’re going to be late, text us, okay?” Her dad smiled to her. “We can celebrate an amazing performance later.”

“Thanks, dad!” Kai’sa blew her parents a kiss and waved goodbye as they pulled away.

“Jeez, Kai’sa, I thought you were just bragging when you said you were a good singer.” Jeremy whistled as they walked down to the street.

“Seriously,” Jax laughed, “Like, _wow_!”

“Thanks, guys.”

“You’re gonna kill that musical audition… if you do it. Still not decided on that?” Jax asked as he waved over some of their other crew members who were also heading to the park from the show.

“It’ll conflict with my audition to that dance studio.” Kai’sa sighed. “But mom really wants me to do it.”

“Why’s she so into you singing and not dancing?”

“It’s not that she doesn’t like me dancing, it’s just that she sees a better future for me with singing. Not gonna lie, I’m not the best dancer.”

“You are in this crew.” Marely joined in on the conversation as he crossed the road and high fived Jax. “You’ve been here for like three months and are already in varsety. That’s _huge_ here, especially for a sophomore.”

“Well, you should have seen the school I just came from in Cape Town. I was the worst dancer out of all of them.”

“Then you’ll be right at home at that other dance studio. They’re dance monsters! I hear their coaches are all dicks, though. You sure you want to join them?”

Kai’sa was quiet for a moment. Despite her voice, all she ever wanted to do was dance. Her parents reassured her that she could hit two birds with one stone, studying and finishing her main education while also learning how to sing and dance at the same time. But the activities often conflicted, and she knew her parents often would rather her prioritize chorus than dance.

She couldn’t bring herself to argue too hard against it, though. They were right in a way. Being able to both sing and dance would make her more desirable in… well, Kai’sa wasn’t sure what singing would make her more desirable in.

All she wanted to do was dance.

Still, it didn’t hurt anyone to humor her parents.

Kai’sa didn’t know even a third of the kids they played manhunt with. Hell, she wasn’t even sure how to play the game until Jax gave her a short rundown of general rules.

Her agility and long legs gave Kai’sa quite the head start, and her upper body strength from months of attempting to breakdance sent her up a tall tree, securing her perfect hiding place.

The game was to be timed in forty minute intervals, and with her hiding place, Kai’sa earned her team the win. Several teens she had never seen before came up and congratulated her as she eased herself out of her hiding place.

“Nice moves!” A tall, tan girl on her team raised her hand for a high five while the others began to organize the next game.

“Thanks, but I didn’t do much.” Kai’sa accepted the gesture and then rubbed the back of her neck.

“Still, you’re the reason we won. But let’s keep to the ground for this round, yeah? They’ll be looking up there from now on.” The tall girl spoke loudly, shooting a glance at a shorter girl. Kai’sa knew this girl.

“Talyah stuck to the bushes and was the first one out. She then totally gave me away after.” The tall girl teased. There was no malice in her voice at all.

“Knock it off, Sivir! I totally did not! It’s not my fault you were right there when I looked over my shoulder.” Kai’sa couldn’t contain a laugh from that.

“Gee, thanks.” The tall girl, Sivir, rolled her eyes. “Lets stick together on this one, yeah? Then if someone comes after us we all scatter.”

“Shouldn’t we keep separate?” Kai’sa asked.

“Yeahhh, Sivir?” Talyah used an incredibly insinuating tone, but Kai’sa brushed it off quickly.

Sivir huffed and crossed her arms, then glanced over to the group. “Looks like they’re done… and no word of dividing teams so we’re all good. Do you guys wanna do it?”

“Fine.” Talyah sighed and Kai’sa nodded.

The timer was set, the airhorn was blown, and everyone took off.

Kai’sa did her best to keep up with Sivir and Talyah, but both were a lot faster than they looked. She struggled for a while, but quicker than she expected, a guy from the other team was suddenly tailing them.

“Guys!” Kai’sa huffed out, alerting her two accomplices to the unwanted presence.

Both turned in sync, smiled, and on Sivir’s silent count, they split off in three directions. It took the boy a moment to choose who he wanted to follow, but he of course chose Kai’sa, the slowest of the team.

“Danny boy!” Sivir’s voice rang clear through the evening air.

Kai’sa chanced a glance back and saw that Sivir had doubled back and was now taunting the boy, jumping in and out of his reach without letting him touch her.

“Come on! I’m right here!”

“Like I’m ever gonna catch you, track star!” the boy, who Kai’sa recognized as a boy named Danny from Choir, shrugged off Sivir’s taunts and continued forwards.

Kai’sa did her best to loose him. She jumped over decorative rocks, picnic tables, and bushes in an attempt to ditch Danny, but all that ended up doing was leave Sivir behind. Danny taunted her, saying there was no way she’d escape. It was all in good fun, of course, but the longer it went on the more helpless Kai’sa felt.

Just as she was about to give in, Kai’sa saw a chance. There was a ditch before her. If she made it seem as if she was going to jump it, she might be able to get away by sliding down into it, jumping back over, and running like hell for some sort of hiding place.

There was no where to go but forwards, so Kai’sa faked the jump. Danny put all of his strength into his own jump, clearing Kai’sa entirely as she climbed out on the other side.

Pleased that her con had worked, Kai’sa scrambled up and made to run, but her foot caught on something.

All of the air in her lungs escaped in one painful breath as something in her leg popped. Kai’sa fell hard, hugging the ground and digging her fingers into the soft grass, hoping that sound wasn’t as bad as she thought it was.

She heard Danny jump the ditch again and come to her side. He was completely out of the game and asking if she was alright. Kai’sa chanced moving, and pain immediately rocketed up her leg.

“Holy shit, Kai’sa, you’re ankle!” Fighting through the pain, she looked back.

She had tripped over one of the automatic sprinklers the park had. If it wasn’t broke before, it definitely was now, along with her ankle.

“Shit!” Kai’sa swore through her teeth, flipping between languages every other second as she turned herself over and held her leg out straight.

“Kai’sa!” Sivir, who had apparently still been following, slid to her side, phone in hand. “Are you alright?”

Kai’sa could barely answer.

No, she wasn’t alright. She wasn’t alright at all.

**Attempt 2**

“Akali, for the last time, you need to stop this rap nonsense!” Her father rarely ever raised his voice, but he was absolutely fuming about this.

Akeme ducked down and hid his big white head in her lap, hiding from Tahno’s anger. Her mother sat quietly across the table as her father launched into his usual tirade.

“It’s dangerous!”

“It’s unstable!”

“It’s not a good life to have!”

She listened in silence with her head bowed down.

Akali felt as if she was doing a good job of keeping her face straight, but knew her father would really flip shit if she looked up at him with a blank stare.

Instead, she focused on Akeme, who had glued himself to her side from the moment the shouting started.

Akali was distantly proud of her pet. He was normally so shy and submissive, quite unusual for his breed. It made her heart melt at how he was sticking by her side and whined whenever her father’s voice got too loud for his comfort.

It wasn’t even like she had done something really bad.

Her parents knew she had a Youtube channel that she posted music on. They even knew she sang on corners and had weekly rap battles with other street singers. Her father never really approved of it, but her mother, Mayyum, always said “it’s better for her to sing on corners than do drugs on corners”.

Well… she wasn’t wrong, but sometimes she wondered if her father really saw a difference.

It had been nearly four years since she began her channel, and while it was relatively big, it wasn’t like she was rolling in add revenue or sponsor money. Her latest song had done very well, and as a thankyou for following for so long, Akali- completely on a whim, tweeted out her location at a bar across a city for a short meet and greet with locals.

She had underestimated how many people might show up

**Gods vs mortals**

Kai’sa took a deep breath as she watched the screen before her. The duet on stage now were the people to beat. Their routines were beautifully choreographed, their movements as fluid as water, and their timing impeccable.

She knew how this particular battle came to an end. The man threw his partner up into the air and caught her in one arm with ease, while the woman gracefully twirled her way back down to the floor, moving around her husband with a practiced ease.

Those two had set the standard for Hong Kong’s major dance competition. Even years afterwards, the two were mentioned as inspiration for new winners and losers alike.

Kai’sa was a teen when they stole the show.

…

Evelynn was escorted around the exotic pet store like she was a goddess trying to find the perfect flower. They showed her wild cats, foxes, small fuzzy things that were undeniably cute, but not her style.

Eve had a pet in mind already, but decided to humor the worker for a while. He was obviously a fan, which was interesting since he was a little older than her intended audience, but who was she to judge?

He talked up the small sugar glider he held in his hand, offering to let her hold it. Knowing the paparazzi were just outside of the shop’s large windows and judging her every move, she accepted and took up the small animal in her hands.

While it was certainly adorable and probably the softest thing she had ever touched, Eve gave it back after a respectable time and asked about any reptiles the shop might have.

Even though her parents had always been high rollers, neither were fond of pets. As a child, Eve would occasionally ask for something small like a hamster or even a fish. Her requests were always met with hard no’s and ‘you can get something when you move out’.

But then her career took off. Traveling and bands and performances ate up most of Evelynn’s time, to the point to where any high maintenance animals. She wanted a companion, but

**Author's Note:**

> So i've been wanting to write K/DA stories for a while now but never had any real solid ideas until the K/DA week thing was announced. also forgive men for any weirdness with formatting or tags or anything, this is my first time using this site for fanfiction but i thought it'd be appropriate to post it here since this is where usually get my K/DA fix.


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